Building Clarity Through Care: Building a Culture of Intentional Connection
Leadership is not just about strategy or bottom-line performance. At its core, leadership is about people — their growth, their goals, and their sense of being valued. In a recent conversation with Kyle Bowen, founder and president of Hourglass Leadership, we discussed systems, communication, feedback, and identity to build organizational clarity and reduce turnover.
Kyle’s journey from church ministry to Chick-fil-A to developing a leadership app reveals how clarity grows when leaders combine intentional systems with authentic care.
Systems That Serve People
To build and sustain more human-centered organizations, we often need more structured systems. Leaders may want to invest in their people, but without frameworks, the intention rarely translates into consistent action.
Kyle explained how many leaders overestimate how often they connect with team members. “You think you’ve met with someone recently, but it’s been six weeks. Without structure, it slips.”
The Hourglass system requires regular rhythms:
Monthly check-ins
Quarterly feedback loops
Consistent goal-setting and communication
Professional development opportunities to foster growth
These aren’t “extra” to business operations — they are the heart of retention. Consistency builds trust, and trust fuels engagement. Coaching and facilitation often reinforce this principle: the most effective cultures don’t leave connection to chance. They design it into their DNA.
The Power of Rhythms and Feedback
When it comes to sustaining powerful cultures of retention, honoring regular one-on-ones is crucial. When honored, with a powerful combination of feedback, intentional engagement, and investment, we can create relational trust and professional clarity.
Kyle shared, “When feedback only comes once a year, there’s no time to change or grow.” His system ensures quarterly conversations, giving employees the chance to build on strengths and correct course quickly.
This rhythm echoes a core principle of organizational clarity: alignment requires ongoing reinforcement.
Just as it takes eight to ten touchpoints in sales for a customer to remember a brand, it takes repeated conversations for team members to truly internalize goals and expectations.
A healthy “pulse” on your culture reminds leaders that clarity is less about the big speech and more about the steady cadence of connection.
Goal Clarity Without Whiplash
One of the pitfalls Kyle highlighted was organizational “whiplash” — constantly shifting goals year to year. While leaders may understand the bigger vision, frontline employees often feel blindsided by rapid pivots.
“Setting longer-term goals helps teams avoid burnout and confusion,” he explained. “It takes time to get the ship pointed in the right direction. Changing course too quickly undermines momentum.”
Clarity is not achieved by abandoning old goals for new ones but by building on prior progress. It’s the compounding effect of consistent habits, much like James Clear’s concept of 1% improvements over time.
When it comes to building a healthy, flourishing culture, helping employees know where to aim and how to get there without the constant “whiplash” of target changes can help employees get excited about goals without burning them out.
Communicating the Why
Clear communication isn’t only about what to do, but why it matters. Kyle cautioned that organizations often frame goals in ways that only make sense at the executive level. For frontline employees, the “why” has to connect personally.
If you connect productivity to their desire for raises, reduced stress, or better schedules, you create more buy-in and long-term success. Asking an employee to take on more or change a process without a clear “why” is a recipe for resistance.
This shift from organizational “why” to personal “why” is a hallmark of clarity-driven leadership. When people see how their daily work serves both the business and their personal growth, engagement soars.
Purpose, Autonomy, and Growth
Kyle shared that the greatest transformation he witnessed came when leaders supported personal goals, not just professional ones. Helping someone save for an emergency fund or prepare for college had ripple effects: employees felt cared for beyond their output, and leaders felt renewed purpose.
He used the metaphor of the hourglass: as leaders pour into their people, the “sand” flows downward. But as team members grow, the hourglass flips, and leaders themselves are filled. It is a cycle of mutual investment and fulfillment.
There are unique benefits and opportunities you can offer your employees to set them up well for the future and be strategic.
Battling Imposter Syndrome
We talk a lot about impostor syndrome around here because when you’re chasing audacious goals, feeling like you’re playing in a different league than you practiced in (even if it’s the same) can be overwhelming at times.
Kyle shared a quote I love: ‘action and anxiety cannot coexist. The antidote to fear is forward motion. Like cliff jumping, the fear never fully disappears — but you jump anyway.”
Courage is often the differentiator between leaders who survive and those who thrive. It’s not about being smarter; it’s about being bolder and more willing to take the leap.
This is a critical lesson for both entrepreneurs and executives, that organizational clarity is often blocked not by lack of ideas, but by fear.
Leadership as Practice, Not Perfection
Another point Kyle shared that was refreshingly practical was “Leadership takes practice. Most leaders assume they’ll be good at it right away. But just like learning any skill, you’re bad at first. That’s not failure; that’s practice.”
The same principle applies to leadership. Hard conversations, honest feedback, clear communication, and growth require reps.
This means creating cultures where failure is safe, feedback is normalized, and growth is expected. Intentional 1:1s reinforce this mindset shift, encouraging employees to see mistakes as stepping stones rather than indictments.
Lessons for Leaders and Organizations
Systems create freedom. Structure ensures that care and connection actually happen.
Feedback must be frequent. Annual reviews are too late; clarity requires ongoing dialogue.
Avoid goal whiplash. Consistency builds momentum; stacked progress sustains growth.
Communicate the personal why. Goals stick when they connect to individual motivators.
Support personal goals. Investing in employees’ lives creates loyalty and purpose.
Fight fear with action. Courage grows through motion, not certainty.
Practice leadership. Growth comes through reps, reflection, and resilience.
Coaching as the Bridge to Clarity
Ultimately, organizational clarity is not achieved through strategy alone. It is cultivated through care, practiced through consistent systems, and strengthened by the courage to act despite fear.
When leaders embrace that approach, they don’t just reduce turnover — they create organizations where people flourish, goals align, and purpose is shared.
If you’re unsure if this is an area of weakness in your organization, take the 7Ps of Operational Health Quiz. You can learn more about Hourglass Leadership here.
